Quick Response (QR) codes, and other optical barcodes, are a convenient way to share small pieces of information with users of mobile devices, wearable devices, and other smart devices. Typically, an optical barcode uses a finder pattern for identification of the optical barcode. Conventional finder patterns commonly use multiple generic markings conspicuously placed within the optical barcode. Such conspicuous and generic markings can be unsightly and often serve no purpose other than to function as a finder pattern.
Users typically access web-based resources by creating a username and a password with a provider of the resource. A user typically accesses a website associated with the provider and enters his/her username and password to view the resource. However, as users create more and more passwords at more and more providers, users tend to forget their passwords, reducing the security provided by the passwords and creating additional difficulty in accessing the resources. As the foregoing illustrates, a new approach to user authentication for access to a web-based resource may be desirable.